Northampton shop surrenders licence after illegal vapes found and cigarettes stashed in car boot parked round the corner
A Northampton shop has surrendered its licence to sell alcohol and tobacco after illicit goods were found on the property and in a nearby car being used to store tobacco.
West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) licensing committee heard that officers had found more than 600 packets of illegal cigarettes and pouches of hand-rolling tobacco in the possession of Viva Mini Market, at 199B Kettering Road, in March this year.
The panel of councillors originally met on June 18 to discuss what action to take on the store, but adjourned the meeting to a later date after they were informed that the licence had already been voluntarily surrendered at the start of June.
According to the council report, there had been several allegations that the shop was selling illegal cigarettes, tobacco and disposable electronic cigarettes. Part of the intelligence suggested that the store was selling the illicit goods from the boot of a blue BMW, which had been parked around the corner on Hood Street for some time.
Officers entered the store on March 12 and seized more than 200 illegal vapes on display behind the counter. The key to the suspected BMW was also found on a member of staff and 578 packets of illegal cigarettes and 74 pouches of illegal tobacco were taken from the boot.
Viva Mini Market’s licence holder and Northamptonshire Police both did not attend the council’s initial licensing hearing due to its decision to voluntarily surrender the store’s licence. The licensing agreement formerly gave the shop permission to sell alcohol everyday between 7am and midnight.
A WNC officer present at the meeting told members that on an unnanounced enforcement visit to the shop they observed that all alcohol in the store had already been removed.
The committee was told in June that the owners of Viva Mini Market would be entitled to make an application to transfer the premises licence or make a new licensing application for up to 28 days after it was first surrendered. Another reconvened hearing was scheduled on Monday, July 7, to see if the Northampton shop had reapplied.
At the follow-up meeting, councillors heard that the licensing team had not received any applications in respect of a transfer or new application for Viva Mini Market within the specified time period. This therefore means the shop has no active licence and committee members had no further action to take against the store.
If Viva Mini Market wishes to sell alcohol again going forward, the owner will need to apply for a new premises licence and get permission from WNC.